close to mitch mcconnell who runs the republican party in the senate. he told us he's going to start pushing for more lax marijuana laws, going to start pushing for a pathway to citizenship on illegal immigration. he said that this tea party conservatism that brought him power and some fame needs to recalibrate too and they need to use this libertarian strain to start to reach out to people in cities, in the northeast, they can't be a one-region party. again, it's not just bobby jindal, it's across the board where you have prominent, influential republicans re-thinking what it means to a republican. and that is, i think that is the one silver lining for the republican party from the results last week. >> by the way, jim, that's a big, big silver lining. a big silver lining. this is a party, this wasn't a goldwater type wipeout. it was a couple of percentage points in the popular vote. you have a president whose campaign team was brilliant and they outmaneuvered the republicans tactically in nine states. no doubt, we were out of touch with voters on issues, but it was a huge tac

. >> woodruff: senate minority leader mitch mcconnell sat down with the three confirmed additions to the republican conference. he said it was time to tackle the nation's problems. >> the country has extraordinarily difficult set of challenges facing us over the next couple of months. the election is behind us. we're ready to get started. >> woodruff: the most difficult of those challenges will be reaching a deal to avert a so-called fiscal cliff. starting january 1, some $500 billion in tax increases will take effect with the expiration of the bush era tax cuts and the payroll tax holiday. at the same time automatic spending cuts will hit defense and domestic programs totaling $109 billion. the spending reductions were triggered when the congressional super committee failed to reach a broad deficit deal last year. that came after talks broan down between the president and house speaker john boehner. senator collins told the newshour today that she's optimistic lawmakers can still strike a deal and stave off the spending cuts. >> so this has to be done carefully. i think the presiden

different messages. congress is back in session after a hiatus for the election season. mitch mcconnell meeting with the new republican senator in that body, democrats and republicans returning to capitol hill and on friday the big meeting, president obama, congressional leaders start talking fiscal cliff. cheryl: they need to get going. thank you, live at the white house. dennis: labor leaders love president obama but can he bring business leaders in? we meet with ceos tomorrow and trying to get republicans to compromise. republican senator and minority whip roger wicker of mississippi joins us from the capital. president obama says his reelection means we will tax the rich. democrats, republicans say they are old and the house meaning we won't raise taxes on any one. are you two side going to blow this and what let happen? >> i hope not. there is room for compromise. but i don't think labor leaders are going to get everything they want today. it is an election celebration but the voters in their wisdom have given us divided government again. democratic president, democratic senate and republi

mitch mcconnell. she says, i cherish kentucky, heart and soul, honored by consideration. we have just finished an election. so let's focus on coming together to keep moving america's families and kids forward the did she say she wasn't going to do it? >> she'll be the hottest senator, i will tell you that. flexpen® is prefilled. doesn't need refrigeration for up to 42 days. no drawing from a vial. dial the exact dose. inject by pushing a button. flexpen® is insulin delivery... my way. levemir® (insulin detemir [rdna origin] injection) is a long-acting insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children with diabetes and is not recommended to treat diabetic ketoacidosis. do not use levemir® if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. the most common side effect is low blood sugar, which may cause symptoms such as sweating, shakiness, confusion, and headache. severe low blood sugar can be serious and life threatening. ask your healthcare provider about alcohol use, operating machinery, or driving. other possible side effects include injection site reactions. tell your

interview with senate leaders harry reid and mitch mcconnell ran just before election day. >> hi, charlie. >> what do you think the possibility of congress compromising with the president stands today? >> i think that it's got to happen. i think substantial compromise, maybe not work out all the problems, maybe put some of them off beyond january 1st, but i think they have to make some real problem between now and the first of the year. >> and on the house side, it's clear that boehner is sending a message to fellow republicans in the house who have got to make extra steps that we didn't before. >> i think that's true. and i think the president has responded by saying that i'm not whetted to the idea of tax rate increases. i'll settle for more revenue if that's what i can get. >> you got senators reid and mcconnell to actually sit together. >> it was like arranging the paris pease talks or the camp david talks. it wasn't easy. >> were they as uncomfortable as they looked sitting next to each other? >> yes. >> and what did you learn from that? >> well, i think that -- what can you